BPD finds success swearing in 25 recruits amid national recruitment crisis

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Police agencies nationwide are facing a recruitment crisis.

A police executive research forum survey shows between 2020 and 2021, law enforcement resignation rates increased by 18% and retirements by 45%.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police said 78% of agencies nationwide are having difficulty recruiting qualified candidates.

However, in Buffalo police are finding success.

Meet the newest class of the city’s police academy.

Twenty-five recruits were sworn in Friday.

So what has made Buffalo so successful at drawing in new talent?

I took that question to the police commissioner.

“We’re almost at capacity. We’re budgeted for 812 officers. This brings us up to 785 members of the department,” Buffalo Police Department Police Commissioner Joe Gramaglia said.

Meet the second class of the most recent exam for BPD.

“We’re going to bring them in and make sure that they get more Buffalo Police specific training and there’s a significant curriculum that they are going to go over before they actually go out and hit the streets,” Gramaglia said.

While the nation as a whole is dealing with a recruitment crisis, BPD is in a good place.

“We ran a very aggressive recruiting campaign. We leveraged a lot of social media. A lot of great videos were produced showing a lot of different aspects of the department and we recruited all around New York State. We used a lot of social media to get the message out,” Gramaglia said.

After the recruits were sworn in, they were reminded about the resources available for when they found themselves struggling.

“You have to be mentally tough, physically tough, vulnerable. You have to accept when things are just so bad that you need to talk to somebody about it,” BPD officer and Wellness Coordinator Matt Cross said.

“As an Employee Assistance Program, we are here to support you for all the things that can occur in your life. Our benefit is offered at no cost to you and we cover the members of your household too.” Employee Assistance Program Senior Counselor Jennifer Schultz said.

“We have chaplains that are available at your need, at your call. We’re not here to replace your spiritual covering, your pastor, your Imam or your priest but we are support system to you,” BPD Chaplain Pastor Garney Davis Jr. added.

The commissioner shared these future officers will also immerse themselves in the community.

“A significant part of what their job is, is regular everyday engagement with the community, going out and seeing what their job is. It’s not always making arrests, it’s not always dealing with people in the worst of their times. It’s not always the bad and the doom and the gloom,” Gramaglia added.

Come Monday, this group of 25 recruits will start their 5 1/2 month-long Academy, followed by four weeks of internal training.